Happy 150th Birthday, Canada!

Today is Canada Day, a celebration of Canada’s birthday, but this year it’s an extra special birthday…Canada is 150 years old today!

Canadian flag

Canada used to be a British colony, but became its own independent country on July 1st, 1867. ( Well, to be totally correct, the colonies of Canada, New Brunswick, and Nova Scotia joined to form the semi-autonomous federal Dominion of Canada on that date, but most would consider this date the birth of Canada as a country).

Here are some fun facts about Canada:

The capital city of Canada is Ottawa and is located in the province of Ontario. Other major cities include Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver, Edmonton, and Calgary.

There are 2 official languages in Canada: English and French.

Canada has 10 provinces and 3 territories.

Canada’s prime minister is Justin Trudeau.

Canada is the second largest country in the world ( after Russia)

Some famous Canadian people are Jim Carrey, Michael J. Fox, William Shatner. Michael Bublé, and Dwayne “the Rock” Johnson.

Canada is famous for Timbits, ice hockey, and Poutine ( A French Canadian specialty of french fries covered with pieces of cheese curd and gravy).

Aren’t you oh so glad you are reading my blog and learning all kinds of interesting facts today?? 🙂

You might wonder why I would be writing about all this…it is because I am a Canadian. I was born in the Netherlands, moved to Canada in my teens ( where I, along with my parents and sister, became a Canadian), and moved to the USA in my 30’s, where I still live today with my own family. Watching the Olympics is great at our house, because I have 3 different countries I get to root for! ( Not so easy if 2 of those countries are competing against each other…but then I decide to root for the winner~teehee!)

Dutch flag

Canadian flag

American flag

Just for fun ( and because this is a quilting blog) I decided to go find some Canadian quilt projects:

All you have to do to enter is leave me a comment about a place in Canada you either have or would like to visit someday. This contest will be open until midnight on July 7th, 2017 (EST). Check back here after that date to see if you are the lucky winner!

I would love to explore Canada in so many ways! A train trek through the Rockies and Lake Banff, a long relaxing visit to Prince Edward Island to pretend I was Anne of Green Gables, a time in the culture and history of Montreal, a visit to Vancouver to see the gardens, perhaps the Calgary Stampede, and… I love the USA, but what a great nation Canada is too.

I love Canada. I was born in Detroit, and in case you did not know, that is the only place in the USA where Canada is to the SOUTH of the US. That’s correct, you go South to get to Canada. Now I live in MN, about 12 miles from the Manitoba border. Needless to say, growing up and currently again living in such close proximity to Canada, it is like a second home to me and I have many friends to the north. However, I have never been to Nova Scotia or Newfoundland and would love to go thataway someday. I have driven thru the Laurentian mountains in Quebec and eaten hot bread baked in stone ovens on farms and have loved every minute.

Went on our honeymoon to see the Canadian side of Niagara Falls. and some of the nearby sights .
Would have loved to see more of Canada but a week-end trip was all we had. Would love to go back again and explore this great nation!

My dear friend Anne, lives in Larder Lake, Canada. I would love to visit her there. She sends me photos of the beautiful scenery and stunning sunsets. She lives right on the lake and she and her husband go ice fishing in the winter.

I am a Canadian and live in southeastern Manitoba. There are still so many places in this great country I would love to see yet, particularly our nation’s capital of Ottawa. I love getting your emails from Farm House Quilts. Would love to visit your part of the world someday.

For a country so far away, I still would love to visit one day…i don’t know much about the places in Canada, but watch the Montreal comedy festival on TV every year haha, and love everything French 😃 and love the Canadian flag lolz

Like you a Citizen of three countries. Great Britain, Canada and now the USA. I think my favourite place to visit was Niagara Falls, especially during winter and early spring. But the USA like Canada has some stunning scenery.
Happy Canada Day

My daughter wants to live in Canada, that is her dream. I have seen pictures and have very distant family living there, but have never been. It would be an adventure and even more so, seeing it through my daughters eyes. Thank you for the lovely patterns.

Oooh maybe we will be neighbors, come live in Toowoomba when you move. Then we just have to talk everyone else into moving, Skye, Kristie and the other girls. Then we can go fabric shopping, what fun that would be.

I grew up in Montreal and I’ve lived in Halifax and now in Calgary. I’ve been to every province but not the Northwest Territories, Nunavut or Labrador. This summer we plan to explore Vancouver Island. There are so many beautiful places to see!

Well, I’ve never thought about visiting Canada! I really don’t know much about it, but I know more now thanks to your facts. 🙂 The company I used to work for was owned by a family that came from Canada. I remember their daughter telling how there was always tomato juice to drink when she visited her grandmother, which I found interesting. That train ride another commenter mentioned sounded fun! I’ve always wanted to take one across the US too. Maybe one day!

Hi Monique,
My husband was in Montreal at the 1976 Olympics and saw Nadia Comaneci compete and be given a perfect score of 10. He enjoyed his tour of Canada then and is retiring this year, so hopefully soon we can visit there soon. Thanks for sharing a bit of the country’s history, and yours.
Diane

I’m a Canadian and have been able to visit a lot of Canada but it’s a big country! Some day I’d like to visit the fjords in Gros Morne National Park in Newfoundland. I’ve been told Newfoundland has some of the most breathtaking scenery in the world.
I came across your blog via “Diary of a Quilter”. To you and my fellow quilters, I live near Kitchener-Waterloo in Ontario. There’s a large Mennonite community here and quilting is big business. As you drive through the beautiful countryside , you’ll often seen a sign at the end of a long driveway stating “Quilts for Sale.” (And the disclaimer, “No Sunday Sales”.) It”s worth visiting!

Hi Bunny! Thanks for popping over to comment! Yes, we have those “No Sunday Sales” signs here too…that’s how you know it’s an Amish farm 🙂
I have not seen a lot of Canada either, but there is time, right?!

Hi there, my name is Monique. I am glad you have found your way here! On my blog I share quilt projects, but also many other creative hobbies such as baking, card making, and home decorating...whatever inspires me! Family and home are the most important things to me, so I try and balance that with my need to create . Ready to have some fun? Let's go!